Jones likes secondary play

The Cowboys got an early return on their $50.1 million investment in cornerback Brandon Carr when he intercepted Philip Rivers twice in Saturday night’s 28-20 loss to San Diego.

Dallas made revamping the secondary its top priority after finishing 23rd in the league last season in pass defense. Free agent signee Carr was the centerpiece of the club’s offseason moves.

Carr’s two thefts gave the Cowboys four in two preseason games and helped Rob Ryan’s unit increase its shutout streak to 29 plays.

The picks also left owner Jerry Jones smiling.

“I’m sitting with (injured tight end) Jason Witten and he says, ‘You know, if we get a couple like that during the regular season, that’s a difference maker and (might) have us sitting there in the playoffs,’ ” Jones said. “I was really pleased there.”

Jones also liked the play of rookie corner Morris Claiborne, who made his debut against the Chargers after sitting out the 3-0 win over Oakland with a knee injury.

Rivers attempted only two passes against the former LSU star. Although both were completions, Claiborne made quick tackles to surrender a total of just 13 yards.

“I thought they would come at me every snap,” Claiborne told the team’s web site. “But I just tried to go out there and play as honest as I could, not jump on any crazy route, just stay on top of everything.”